'It was difficult' - Busy Signal's lawyer talks about his visa issues

Andrew Crumbie, attorney for dancehall artiste Busy Signal, said the process to get the artiste a US visa, was "difficult given the circumstances".

"Any legal process is difficult where you are requesting an atypical outcome for your particular set of circumstances. Typically, certain convictions in the US would bar an individual from re-entry into the country," Crumbie said.

But he said that when he took the case, he thought there was something there he could work with, noting Busy Signal's professional and philanthropic accomplishments.

"Here I was able to make strong arguments for why Mr Gordon's circumstances warranted an outcome that was not typical," he said. The lawyer said he was approached with the case in May 2016.

"The legal framework that existed kind of lent itself to giving it a shot," he continued.

"This is a visitor's visa," Crumbie clarified. Though Busy Signal has flexibility to visit throughout the 10-year period, for which the Visa is issued, the artiste does not have the permission to work.

"It is in large part up to him, if he chooses to work in his field," Crumbie told THE STAR. "It's a different process. That is something we could pursue later on," he said.

Crumbie declined to comment on whether or not there was resistance regarding the granting of Busy Signal's visa.

"There was no time frame by which Busy Signal was barred from obtaining a US visa," he said.